Thawing apparatus



(No Model.)

D. PHILLIPS.

THAWING APPARATUS.

Patented May 17,1898.

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co. PHOTUVIHHOYWASWING1ON o c NITE STATES PATENT FFICE.

DAVID PHILLIPS, OF PONY, MONTANA.

THAWING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 604,264, dated May 17, 1898.

Application filed October 19, 1897. Serial No. 655,692. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID PHILLIPS, of Pony, in the county of Madison and State of Montana, have invented a new and Improved Thawing Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an apparatus particularly adapted for thawing frozen dirt and gravel in placer-mining; and the object is to provide an apparatus for this purpose of comparatively simple construction and which may be easily handled and directed over the frozen ground to discharge hot air thereon, thus facilitating placer-mining in cold countries.

I will describe an apparatus embodying my invention, and then point out the novel features in the appended claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference-indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a partial plan View and partial section of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation and partial sectional elevation, and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the pipe-supporting device.

The apparatus comprises a furnace 1, having a grate 2 in its lowerportion, below which is the ash-pit 8, and arranged in the upper portion of this furnace is a coiled pipe 4:, havin g its inlet end 5 extended through the wall of the furnace. The opposite end of this pipe 4 extends through the wall of the furnace near its upper end and then downward into a box 6, within which a suction device is arranged. As here shown this suction device consists of a rotary fan 7. From the casing 8 of this fan a pipe 9 extends outward through a wall of the box 6, and to this pipe 9 one end of a flexible pipe 10 is attached. The other end of the flexible pipe 10is connected to a swinging pipe 11. This swinging pipe 11 is extended through the sleeve 12, in which the said pipe maybe adjusted longitudinally and also axially. The pipe will be held as adjusted by means of a set-screw 13, passing through the sleeve 12 and engaging upon the pipe. From the sleeve 12 trunnions 14 extend outward and have bearings in standards 15, mounted on the plate 16, which is here shown as circular and seated in a metal socket 17, secured to a base-block 18. The plate 16 has a bolt 19 on its lower side, and this bolt extends through an opening in the bottom of the socket 17 and through an opening in the block 18 and the lower end of the bolt is provided with a nut. Obviously by this construction the pipe 11 may be swung or adj usted horizontally.

To the end of the pipe 11 is attached a crosshead pipe 20, from which discharge-nozzles 21 and 22 extend. The nozzles 21, it will be noted in Fig. 2, are extended directly outward or parallel with the pipe 11. The nozzles 22, however, are curved downward and then forward. These two sets of nozzles arranged in different planes will direct hot air over a considerable area of ground.

To assist the nozzles 21 and 22 during the thawing operation, a hose provided with a suitable nozzle may be attached to a small nipple 23, which communicates with the interior of the pipe 11 rearward of the crosshead. Of course when the hose is not placed on the nipple 23 it must be closed by a suitable cap or plug. The fan 7 is provided-with a shaft, on the outer end of which a bandwheel 24 is attached, and from this bandwheel a band 25 extends to any suitable driving power.

In operation the air will be drawn through the pipe 4 by the rotary fan 7, and as the air passes through this pipe it will be heated by the fire in the furnace. The products of combustion will pass out through a flue or pipe 26. The air drawn through the pipe 14 by means of the fan will be forced out also by means of said fan through the pipes 10 and 11 and the several nozzles onto the ground or gravel. Obviously the nozzles may be pointed in any desired direction, and they must remain as directed until the frozen ground or gravel is thawed.

It will be seen that this apparatus may be easily transported from place to place and that it will require very little attention on the part of a miner.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- Athawing device comprising an air-heater, a suction-fan for drawing air from the heater,

a flexible pipe receiving the discharge from the fan, a discharge-pipe having connection with the flexible pipe, nozzles on the discharge-pipe, a sleeve in which the dischargepipe is axially and longitudinally adjustable,

a plate having bearings in which trunnions on the sleeve engage, a block, a socket-plate on said block and With which the first-named plate engages, and a bolt passing from the first-named plate, through the socket-plate I0 and through the block, substantially as speci- DAVID PHILLIPS.

fled.

Witnesses:

O. H. W001), F. H. WILLOW. 

